Adviser Jin gestured urgently for Tao Mo to strike the judge’s block.
Tao Mo picked it up and brought it down heavily. “Liu Bao, if you refuse to tell the truth, then this official will have no choice but to…”
Seeing him falter, Adviser Jin hurriedly mouthed, Punishment.
Tao Mo glanced at him, then shook his head. “This official will have no choice but to withdraw the earlier judgment ordering Yang Tianyuan to return the dowry and leave your family affairs alone.”
The moment those words fell, Madam Yang, Liu Bao, and Zou Qiong all turned pale with shock and cried in unison, “Absolutely not!”
Tao Mo said, “I am the parent-official of Tanyang County, not a puppet in your hands. If you are in the right, naturally I will help you. But if you conceal the truth and try to use my hand to obtain private benefit, I will never allow you to succeed. Think carefully about what you intend to do.”
The courtroom immediately fell silent.
Madam Yang and the other two looked at one another, exchanging all manner of glances.
Zou Qiong suddenly said softly, “My lord, I’m willing to take Mother back.”
Madam Yang curled her lip, plainly unwilling, but said nothing.
Tao Mo shook his head. “Liu Bao still hasn’t explained what he meant by what he said just now.”
Liu Bao said, “This lowly one merely misspoke in the heat of the moment. There was no…”
“Since you refuse to tell the truth, I can only withdraw my earlier judgment.” Tao Mo picked up the judge’s block and was about to strike when he noticed a familiar face among the crowd watching outside the courtroom. He immediately beckoned Adviser Jin closer.
Adviser Jin asked, “Master?”
“Is that Yang Tianyuan over there?”
Adviser Jin stared for quite some time before smiling bitterly. “My lord, I’m getting old and my eyesight is failing. How could I possibly see that clearly? If Master wishes to confirm it, the matter is simple enough. Just summon him into court.”
Tao Mo struck the judge’s block. “Summon Yang Tianyuan!”
The man really was Yang Tianyuan. He had come specifically after hearing that the case was being reheard. Later, when he heard Tao Mo say that he might overturn the dowry judgment, he had been beside himself with delight. Naturally, he came forward eagerly and knelt in court.
“Now that all four of you are here, if there is anything to say, you may as well say it clearly. If you choose not to, this official will not force you. But the judgment made earlier will unfortunately have to be revoked.” Having said that, Tao Mo quietly waited for them to decide.
Liu Bao gritted his teeth. “My lord, the truth is that the whole idea of demanding the dowry came from Mother-in-law. She was afraid Yang Tianyuan would use the dowry to take a concubine, so she urged us to put on an act with her and file the complaint. She also said that if it succeeded, we had to give her half the dowry.”
Madam Yang’s body trembled. She lowered herself to the floor and did not dare speak.
Rage surged through Yang Tianyuan, and he could not stop himself from cursing, “Wretched woman!”
Tao Mo struck the judge’s block. “No insulting others in court!”
Yang Tianyuan forcibly swallowed his anger, but still could not keep silent. “My lord, this lowly one is not greedy for wealth or lustful by nature. I truly had no other choice. Liu-shi has been married into my Yang family for more than ten years and has never borne a child. The daughter I worked so hard to raise ultimately belongs to another family. Since marrying Liu Bao, she hasn’t even spoken a word to me. My lord, tell me, how could I not plan for my own old age? Am I supposed to accept that simply because I married Liu-shi, I deserve to die without a son to see me off?”
Tao Mo hesitated. “This…”
Seeing him waver, Liu Bao hurriedly said, “My lord must not let him mislead you. That dowry belongs to the Zou family. Refusing to return property by force is simply seizing what belongs to someone else.”
Madam Yang also cried, “My lord, ever since this common woman married into the Yang family, I have always observed the duties of a wife. And my failure to bear a child may not necessarily be this common woman’s fault.”
Yang Tianyuan grew even angrier. “Wretched woman, what did you say?!”
Seeing them erupt into another quarrel, Tao Mo felt as though his head were splitting open. He struck the judge’s block three times in rapid succession. “Silence!”
Only then did Yang Tianyuan and the others quiet down.
Tao Mo looked toward Adviser Jin.
Adviser Jin looked just as troubled.
Below the dais, Gu Xiaojia waved at him.
Tao Mo’s eyes brightened. He gave a dry cough. “I’m stepping away for a moment. Wait here.”
“Master, perhaps we should…” Adviser Jin had wanted to suggest temporarily dismissing court, but Tao Mo had already vanished like a wisp of smoke. All Adviser Jin could do was give the four people still kneeling there two awkward little smiles.
The moment Tao Mo reached the rear hall, he asked anxiously, “Did Xianzhi come up with a good way to decide the case?”
Gu Xiaojia shook his head. “No. Young Master says there’s red-braised pork tonight—the kind you like—and told you to come home early.”
“Huh?” Tao Mo stared.
Gu Xiaojia asked, “When does Young Madam plan to come back?”
After thinking for a moment, Tao Mo said, “Once I’ve decided the case.”
Gu Xiaojia said, “Got it. I’ll go report back to Young Master.”
Seeing Gu Xiaojia turn and run, Tao Mo could not help calling him back. When Gu Xiaojia looked at him in confusion, Tao Mo asked shyly, “Did Xianzhi really say nothing else?”
Gu Xiaojia said solemnly, “If Young Madam wants to hear sweet words, you should ask Young Master yourself. Young Master never asks me to carry that sort of message.”
“N-no.” Tao Mo’s face reddened even further. He waved his hand. “It’s nothing. Go.”
Gu Xiaojia suddenly burst out laughing and pulled a sheet of paper from inside his robes, presenting it with both hands. “Young Master may not ask me to carry that sort of message, but he can certainly ask me to carry this sort of letter.”
The blush on Tao Mo’s face spread all the way to the tips of his ears. As he unfolded the note, he said, “Stop talking nonsense.”
Sure enough, there were no sweet words written on it. Only four characters: Give each what they seek.
Give each what they seek?
Even after Tao Mo returned to the courtroom, those words were still circling through his mind.
Adviser Jin hurried over. “What did Young Master Gu say?”
Tao Mo showed him the paper.
Adviser Jin thought for a moment. “What Liu Bao and Zou Qiong seek is the dowry.”
Tao Mo nodded.
“What Yang Tianyuan seeks is security in his old age and someone to see him off after death. As for Madam Yang…”
Tao Mo suddenly said softly, “Actually, what Madam Yang seeks is no different from what Yang Tianyuan seeks.”
Adviser Jin turned to look at him and saw a smile slowly spreading across Tao Mo’s face. “I know how to judge the case.”
Tao Mo straightened in his seat. “Hear this official’s judgment.”
The four people below bent forward, and the stiffness of their bodies betrayed how nervous they were.
“The dowry was originally property of the Zou family and rightfully belongs to Zou Qiong,” Tao Mo said. “Yang Tianyuan and Madam Yang are husband and wife. As the saying goes, one night as husband and wife earns a hundred days of affection. After more than ten years together, how can you damage your harmony over mere worldly possessions? This official orders you to reconcile and forbids either of you from creating further trouble.”
Yang Tianyuan shifted slightly, seemingly dissatisfied.
“And furthermore,” Tao Mo continued, “supporting one’s parents is the duty of every child. Yang Tianyuan may not be Zou Qiong’s biological father, but a stepfather is still a father, especially one who helped raise her. From now on, you must give thirty percent of your monthly earnings to Yang Tianyuan and Madam Yang so that the two elders may live out their later years in comfort and you may fulfill your filial duty as their children.”
Liu Bao and Zou Qiong hurriedly rose, about to protest, but Tao Mo suddenly brought down the judge’s block and shouted, “Court dismissed!”
The moment he left court, Tao Mo changed his clothes in a rush and hurried straight back to the Gu residence.
It was already lamp-lighting time, and large lanterns hung inside and outside the Gu residence to illuminate the way.
Tao Mo jogged all the way to the main hall and saw Gu She seated behind a table full of delicious food, his expression unreadable. Tao Mo’s heart immediately gave an uneasy jump. He paused outside to catch his breath before entering. “I could smell the red-braised pork from far away. It smells wonderful!” As he spoke, he carefully studied Gu She’s expression.
Gu She raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Wonderful?”
Tao Mo nodded vigorously. “Wonderful, wonderful, wonder…” He reached the table and his smile abruptly froze. There was no red-braised pork at all.
Beside them, Gu Xiaojia could not hold back his laughter.
Tao Mo scratched his head awkwardly. “I smelled wrong. So it was the red-braised tofu.”
At last, a hint of amusement appeared at the corner of Gu She’s mouth. “Sit down and eat.”
“Yes.” Tao Mo relaxed, picked up his chopsticks, and began wolfing down his food. After being tossed around by one thing after another all day, he really was hungry.
Gu She placed several chopstickfuls into his bowl. Tao Mo did not even look at what they were and ate every bit.
After dinner, they ordinarily played Go. Yet for once, Gu She did not have Gu Xiaojia bring out the board. Instead, he took Tao Mo back to their room to bathe.
After bathing, Gu She lay on his side on the bed and crooked a finger at him.
Tao Mo’s heart pounded wildly. Even though they had been married for some time, the sight of Gu She like this still left his mouth dry. He sat on the bed and slowly lay down, and Gu She gently covered him with his body.
In truth, neither Gu She nor Tao Mo had much experience in these matters. No matter how many times they did it, they never went beyond the ordinary ways of making love. Yet every time, Tao Mo found the pleasure so exquisite that no brush or ink could adequately describe it. Although his waist and back would ache afterward, having tasted such pleasure, he inevitably found himself looking forward to the next time.
This time was no exception.
Afterward, Tao Mo nestled against Gu She’s chest, reluctant to move away.
Gu She suddenly said, “We shouldn’t overindulge in this. You’re a man, after all, and your body is different from a woman’s. We have a long future ahead of us. Better to take things slowly.”
Tao Mo froze. Then he heard the laughter beneath Gu She’s words and felt embarrassed, shy, and moved all at once. Unable to help himself, he lifted his head and tentatively stretched his neck to kiss Gu She’s chin. He did not have a stitch of clothing on, and the lingering desire in his eyes had yet to fade. In Gu She’s eyes, that posture was no different from a shy, hesitant invitation.
Gu She’s gaze gradually darkened. He raised a hand to press Tao Mo’s shoulder and pushed him beneath him once more, laughing softly. “Indulging once in a while won’t hurt.”
The atmosphere beneath the bed curtains had just grown heated again when hurried footsteps sounded outside. Hao Guozi called from beyond the door, “Old Tao is back!”
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